It has been 10 years since Westside Gunn’s breakout album ‘Flygod,’ and it’s safe to say his footprint continues to grow.
Born Alvin Lamar Worthy in 1982, Gunn hails from Buffalo, N.Y. and started in the underground scene before becoming one of the biggest voices in east coast rap in the last decade. Gunn, along with Conway The Machine and Mach Hommy founded Griselda Records in 2012, adding Benny The Butcher around 2014 and has functioned since then.
Additionally, Gunn runs and promotes 4th Rope, a wrestling company that incorporates hip-hop and lifestyle into one single product which he heavily features in his music.
Since “Flygod,” Gunn has released over a dozen albums with countless hits adding to his amazing discography in which he refers to himself as “Flygod” as a nod to where he got started.
Much of his music, along with those in Griselda, uses the iconic 90s style of boom-bap that rappers Nas, Mobb Deep and The Notorious B.I.G. all used heavily in their music.
Gunn’s lyricism revolves around the juxtaposition of his taste in luxurious wealth and fashion versus earning it through crime. Gunn is able to blend raw street narratives with the luxuries of life many dream of so vividly.
Songs like “Kitchen Lights,” “Mr. T” and “Amira Kitchen” are some of the best in his discography, each being perfect examples of the luxury from the crime narrative he paints effortlessly.
Lyrics like “Drive-bys out of Teslas” from “Mr. T” and, “Dope in the tupperware, Chrome Heart tips in the showers/ Mustard Virgil Forces on the rec yard, CO threw up in the tower” from “Kitchen Lights” are two of my favorites.
Gunn’s use of juxtaposition goes deeper than his lyrics, but his albums as well. His “Hitler wears Hermes” album series uses the German Dictator as the worst, or grimiest thing to come from this world, pairing with the greatest product or “flyest” thing in the world being Hermes.
The album series started in 2012 when he was still underground.
By now, the album has become a central piece to Gunn’s legacy and discography. It is meant as a play on “The Devil Wears Prada,” as he never promotes nor does he endorse the Nazi ideology.
It’s evident that Gunn’s music revolves around the luxuries he’s earned himself, albeit through illegal and dangerous routes early on in his career.
Virgil Forces, Chrome Hearts, Hermes and countless other luxury clothing brands are referenced in Gunn’s music as his taste in fashion is unmatched.
A simple Google search tells someone all they need to know about his sense of style and it is unmatched.
In 2020 Gunn attended Paris Fashion Week which inspired him to create “Pray for Paris,” one of three albums he released in 2020. Then, in 2023 he released “And Then You Pray For Me” after attending the same event.
Gunn has become a fashion designer in many of the biggest fashion events in the world. He also sits front row for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Off-White and Casablanca.
In late 2025, Gunn released the three-song single, “My Sauconys Glowin” to promote his new partnership with the shoe company Saucony in which he released his own pair of shoes.
Gunn’s album covers are a world of their own as well. Chris Gagnon created the album cover for “Flygod” while Isaac Pelayo created the artwork for ‘Hitler
Wears Hermes VI’ which Gunn invested $10,000 into.
Since then, Isaac Pelayo who goes by EYESAAC has worked closely with Gunn for future projects.
Above all else, something so unique about Westside Gunn is the world he has created for himself. Now 43 years old, he has built an empire with Griselda.
